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How can I make groups from custom data?

By creating student attributes, you can import custom data that's important to your school. Even better, you can then make dynamic groups using these attributes in order to track and analyze students.

Start by creating an attribute you want to see for students. "Bus Stop" is a good example. Be sure to choose "Raw" from the "Value Type" dropdown. "Raw" tells our system to display whatever value you set for students – so if you upload an attributes file with "Main & 3rd Ave", Schoolrunner will simply display "Main & 3rd Ave". (You can also set up decodes, but this is more advanced and using raw values is usually a better, easier way.)

And since you want to use this attribute to create groups, make sure to enter in a number in the "Groups Page Order" field. The number you put in will be ranked relative to to other attributes, all of which will be shown toward the bottom of the filters on the Groups page.

Pro Tip: Enter "0" in the "Default Value" field. This will create a "None" option when filtering students by the attribute, allowing you to view all kids that don't have anything listed!

Once you've created your attribute, navigate to your Export page (under the "Setup" menu) and click the "Export Student Attributes" link. Choose your new attribute from the dropdown list and click "Download". You'll get a spreadsheet that lists students next to a field for your attribute. Enter info for each student next to his/her name in the attribute column. You don't need to enter in data for every kid, but you can if you have data for everyone.

Note: If you chose "Raw" when you created this attribute, we will display whatever you enter. That means typos will show up just the same as correct information, so be careful!

The final step is to update your Schoolrunner site with the new data you've just entered. After saving your attributes file, drop it into the import page. Your import page is kind of sneaky – you have to navigate directly to it, which you can do at yourschool.schoolrunner.org/import. When you drop in the file, Schoolrunner will process it and give you a summary of the number of expected changes. If all looks good, hit the "Save" button, wait for the confirmation message, and then check your Groups page to start making groups with your new attribute!